Ike can shut down one guy, he can't cover all of them. So I do expect them to have some success, they might not be as fast, but doesn't mean they can't catch anymore.

ike and mcfadden are two of the more physical corners in the league and mcfadden especially is a tremendous tackler. ike can cover TO since hes schooled him in his prime and both guys have terrible hands and mcfadden can cover chad no problem, weve seen what chad does when a corner gets physical with him...nothing.

the scariest player on the bengals offense is brian leonard on third down at the end of the game with it on the line....damnit

Pittsburgh Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons writes in his blog that he has been working out twice a day and as a result is in serious shape. "I did a lot of great things in the off-season. It hasn’t all been fun, though. I’ve been working out hard. I’m up to 248 pounds right now, no fat. I’ve got my abs back" writes Timmons. "Now it’s time to get ready for training camp on Friday. I’ve been working out like a dog so camp will be easy for me and I’m in some serious shape. I’ve been working out hard, doing two-a-days, working out then running or lifting. My trainers have me on some supplements now and I’m improving my wind, speed and strength so everything is going well."

With Training Camp just two days away, I've created my first long post of the year. Basically, just overall thoughts of how I see the team, the upcoming season, and a very, very early look at next year's draft.

- Starting off with the QB's. I think Leftwich gives us the best opportunity to win, but for some strange reason I want Dixon to play. Batch, as great as the guy is, doesn't even come into consideration anymore (for me, at least). I think he's on the team to be a mentor and a coach more than a QB nowadays. Weighing in the positives and the negatives, both Leftwich and Dixon come out somewhat similar, but Leftwich has got a slight edge due to experience. Leftwich has got a rocket launcher for an arm and is actually a pretty good QB when given the chance to get comfortable. But that's the thing, he rarely is. He's as mobile as a desk, has the slowest release in the NFL (or second slowest now that Tebow's on board), and to top it off, he's injury prone. Those three things added up suck when considering the quality of the O-line he'll be playing behind. Dixon, on the other and, has a noodle for an arm compared to Leftwich's, but he's extremely mobile and can not only escape from danger, but create plays with his legs, as we all witnessed in the Baltimore game. He doesn't have the experience though, and that can also hurt us (again, see Baltimore game). I guess that I want to see Dixon in there because I truly want to see what he is capable of doing when given a chance to really prepare and whatnot. Plus, I still think the offense will not revolve around the QB. Instead, Mendenhall will be our #1 offensive weapon, which brings me to my next point.

- Mendenhall absolutely has to assume his role as a leader and carry the offense for those 4-6 games. I know he's only entering his third year, but he's going to be responsible for a lot of the offensive success we have or don't have. Some people will say Ward has to be a leader too, and while I definitely agree, it's not the same situation as with Mendenhall. Ward can only do a good job if Dixon or Leftwich do a good job. If he's not getting the ball, he can't do much. Mendenhall, on the other hand, has virtually the same group of O-Line guys he had last year, a new guy in Demetrius Taylor who could be the run-blocking fullback we've been looking for, and a year of experience as well. Teams will focus more on stopping him, and he must know that. The passing game will complement his running, as opposed to the opposite, which is what Arians constantly does when Ben is in the game (much to our frustration). If he struggles at times, then those games could very well be lost.

- I'm not nearly as worried about our WR and CB situation as some people are. Seriously, why are people so aggravated and worried about this? Our CB group is better than it was last year, and while we did lose a good player in Holmes, I think that Wallace, Sanders, and Randle El can not only replace what he did for the team, but actually improve upon it. It's not as if we lost Ward, Holmes, and Wallace. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Holmes as a receiver and was both sad and angered to see him leave, but we still have good players to replace him. Wallace still is, and hopefully will be for a long time, a very dangerous vertical threat. As long as he doesn't go all Eddie Royal on us, we'll be good. Randle El adds a pair of solid, albeit unspectacular hands, and Sanders is one guy I'm very excited about. Granted, seeing him talk on Facebook probably increased my expectations, but I still think he can produce for us as a rookie and will have no trouble handling the #4 WR spot; unless, of course, he ends up higher.

- I still hate our offensive line. Yeah, it's improving and players are getting chemistry, yada, yada, yada. I still think that, for the most part, it sucks. I hate having to read year after year that his could be the season where the offensive line "gets it" and inexplicably improves a lot. It won't happen. Not with "solid" guys all over. As of right now, the only untouchable on that line, at least for me, is Pouncey, and that's hoping he does become a great center/guard. Starks is maddeningly inconsistent, but he's "solid." Kemo is lethal in both run-blocking and pass-protection, but he's lethal to others in the former and lethal to us in the latter. Again, just "solid." I wasn't as down on Hartwig as some were recently, but the more I see him play, the less I like him. I used to think he was "solid" too, but now I think he's below-average. And old. Essex, nothing more than a journeyman. And Colon is supposedly our best player, but that doesn't really say much and for the most part, he doesn't really stand out. Oh, how I wish we could have some type of elite talent on our offensive line. It would truly make the offense unstoppable. Even with Arians' ******** playcalling. If the O-Line could block worth a damn, it wouldn't be such a big issue.

- I'm ecstatic with the group of linebackers we've got right now, tons of potential for great plays. Farrior, Timmons, Foote, Fox, all could be starters for us. And Harrison and Woodley are simply beastly. Gibson and Worilds, great additions, very eager to see what they can do. And I guess this means that Patrick Bailey, Andre Frazier, and co. are all but gone. Kinda sad, I liked Bailey, but you've got to make room for the better talent, and those guys carry much more potential than Bailey and Frazier have.

- Going back to the CB situation, we've got our unquestioned starter in Taylor and a good player in McFadden. We've also got the best nickel corner in the league, and I'll stop calling him that when someone else takes that crown away from him. Last year, IMO, doesn't really count as he wasn't a nickel corner. Burnett, Lewis, and Butler are very intriguing players. If Burnett does play a lot of nickel, then he could be really interesting to watch. He was a ballhawk in college, and he should already have one in the NFL. If the Taylor and Lewis comparisons have any truth to them, then I think we could have a future starter, and judging by how coaches are saying he'll compete for a starting job and is looking great, I think he could be in a year or two. And Butler, well, he's shown nothing yet, but he's another freak athlete and I've read on multiple places that getting him in the fifth was actually a steal. Who knows.

- Hadn't really put these things together, but we could be witnessing monster seasons from both Woodley and Ike. I strongly believe both guys want to seriously cash in this off-season. Woodley because he truly deserves it, and Ike because it's probably the last big deal he'll get. I can't wait to see what a money-motivated Woodley is capable of doing. Hopefully, maybe, could it be, 20+ sacks? He put up 15.5 sacks this past-season, but didn't get any until his fifth game. From then on, he averaged 1.29166667 sacks per game. If he would have started off getting sacks, and I used the same average, he would have wound up with 20-21 sacks in the season. Let's see what Woodley does.

- And finally, the draft. Just like many other Steeler fans, I too want to add elite talent to our O-line. But, unfortunately, that comes in first and second round picks, which we don't invest in need but rather in talent. Hopefully the team will bend this rule and take a good lineman based on need and not only on talent, but who knows. I'd love to get Mike Pouncey and have him play beside Maurkice. I'd also love TCU's Marcus Cannon or Miami's Orlando Franklin. If you guys didn't already know this, I love me some big offensive linemen. Always have, and I think I always will. Even in Madden, lol. Unless the guy plays center, I'll have none of 6'3, 298 lbs. Give me 6'4-6'5 and 320 lbs.+ any day of the week. That's why I'm not very fond of guys like Selvish Capers, and consequently of finesse players. Finnese players don't work against the defenses we play against. We saw that with Darnell Stapleton. Granted, he wasn't elite talent. But still, most small offensive linemen hold no chance against Ngata, Rogers, and now maybe Cody. That's why I like guys like John Jerry, Phil Loadholt, Iupati, and now Cannon. Road-graters who can match defenders' physicality and overpower other small players. I can make exceptions though, especially at LT. But other than that, no, no, no. Big guys to clear big holes for big gains.

And to top it all off, a new, quick mock. Also, I'll look into what we might get in comp picks in a little while, though I don't think we get much.

Assuming we pick in the 15-25 range, which is where I've seen the team listed in power rankings.

I have set some goals for myself this season. Making the Pro Bowl is No. 1 on my agenda, and of course we all want to win another Super Bowl. I want to be in the high teens in sacks, maybe 17 or 18. That would be a good way to help the team win.

With Training Camp just two days away, I've created my first long post of the year. Basically, just overall thoughts of how I see the team, the upcoming season, and a very, very early look at next year's draft.

- Starting off with the QB's. I think Leftwich gives us the best opportunity to win, but for some strange reason I want Dixon to play. Batch, as great as the guy is, doesn't even come into consideration anymore (for me, at least). I think he's on the team to be a mentor and a coach more than a QB nowadays. Weighing in the positives and the negatives, both Leftwich and Dixon come out somewhat similar, but Leftwich has got a slight edge due to experience. Leftwich has got a rocket launcher for an arm and is actually a pretty good QB when given the chance to get comfortable. But that's the thing, he rarely is. He's as mobile as a desk, has the slowest release in the NFL (or second slowest now that Tebow's on board), and to top it off, he's injury prone. Those three things added up suck when considering the quality of the O-line he'll be playing behind. Dixon, on the other and, has a noodle for an arm compared to Leftwich's, but he's extremely mobile and can not only escape from danger, but create plays with his legs, as we all witnessed in the Baltimore game. He doesn't have the experience though, and that can also hurt us (again, see Baltimore game). I guess that I want to see Dixon in there because I truly want to see what he is capable of doing when given a chance to really prepare and whatnot. Plus, I still think the offense will not revolve around the QB. Instead, Mendenhall will be our #1 offensive weapon, which brings me to my next point.

- Mendenhall absolutely has to assume his role as a leader and carry the offense for those 4-6 games. I know he's only entering his third year, but he's going to be responsible for a lot of the offensive success we have or don't have. Some people will say Ward has to be a leader too, and while I definitely agree, it's not the same situation as with Mendenhall. Ward can only do a good job if Dixon or Leftwich do a good job. If he's not getting the ball, he can't do much. Mendenhall, on the other hand, has virtually the same group of O-Line guys he had last year, a new guy in Demetrius Taylor who could be the run-blocking fullback we've been looking for, and a year of experience as well. Teams will focus more on stopping him, and he must know that. The passing game will complement his running, as opposed to the opposite, which is what Arians constantly does when Ben is in the game (much to our frustration). If he struggles at times, then those games could very well be lost.

- I'm not nearly as worried about our WR and CB situation as some people are. Seriously, why are people so aggravated and worried about this? Our CB group is better than it was last year, and while we did lose a good player in Holmes, I think that Wallace, Sanders, and Randle El can not only replace what he did for the team, but actually improve upon it. It's not as if we lost Ward, Holmes, and Wallace. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Holmes as a receiver and was both sad and angered to see him leave, but we still have good players to replace him. Wallace still is, and hopefully will be for a long time, a very dangerous vertical threat. As long as he doesn't go all Eddie Royal on us, we'll be good. Randle El adds a pair of solid, albeit unspectacular hands, and Sanders is one guy I'm very excited about. Granted, seeing him talk on Facebook probably increased my expectations, but I still think he can produce for us as a rookie and will have no trouble handling the #4 WR spot; unless, of course, he ends up higher.

- I still hate our offensive line. Yeah, it's improving and players are getting chemistry, yada, yada, yada. I still think that, for the most part, it sucks. I hate having to read year after year that his could be the season where the offensive line "gets it" and inexplicably improves a lot. It won't happen. Not with "solid" guys all over. As of right now, the only untouchable on that line, at least for me, is Pouncey, and that's hoping he does become a great center/guard. Starks is maddeningly inconsistent, but he's "solid." Kemo is lethal in both run-blocking and pass-protection, but he's lethal to others in the former and lethal to us in the latter. Again, just "solid." I wasn't as down on Hartwig as some were recently, but the more I see him play, the less I like him. I used to think he was "solid" too, but now I think he's below-average. And old. Essex, nothing more than a journeyman. And Colon is supposedly our best player, but that doesn't really say much and for the most part, he doesn't really stand out. Oh, how I wish we could have some type of elite talent on our offensive line. It would truly make the offense unstoppable. Even with Arians' ******** playcalling. If the O-Line could block worth a damn, it wouldn't be such a big issue.

- I'm ecstatic with the group of linebackers we've got right now, tons of potential for great plays. Farrior, Timmons, Foote, Fox, all could be starters for us. And Harrison and Woodley are simply beastly. Gibson and Worilds, great additions, very eager to see what they can do. And I guess this means that Patrick Bailey, Andre Frazier, and co. are all but gone. Kinda sad, I liked Bailey, but you've got to make room for the better talent, and those guys carry much more potential than Bailey and Frazier have.

- Going back to the CB situation, we've got our unquestioned starter in Taylor and a good player in McFadden. We've also got the best nickel corner in the league, and I'll stop calling him that when someone else takes that crown away from him. Last year, IMO, doesn't really count as he wasn't a nickel corner. Burnett, Lewis, and Butler are very intriguing players. If Burnett does play a lot of nickel, then he could be really interesting to watch. He was a ballhawk in college, and he should already have one in the NFL. If the Taylor and Lewis comparisons have any truth to them, then I think we could have a future starter, and judging by how coaches are saying he'll compete for a starting job and is looking great, I think he could be in a year or two. And Butler, well, he's shown nothing yet, but he's another freak athlete and I've read on multiple places that getting him in the fifth was actually a steal. Who knows.

- Hadn't really put these things together, but we could be witnessing monster seasons from both Woodley and Ike. I strongly believe both guys want to seriously cash in this off-season. Woodley because he truly deserves it, and Ike because it's probably the last big deal he'll get. I can't wait to see what a money-motivated Woodley is capable of doing. Hopefully, maybe, could it be, 20+ sacks? He put up 15.5 sacks this past-season, but didn't get any until his fifth game. From then on, he averaged 1.29166667 sacks per game. If he would have started off getting sacks, and I used the same average, he would have wound up with 20-21 sacks in the season. Let's see what Woodley does.

- And finally, the draft. Just like many other Steeler fans, I too want to add elite talent to our O-line. But, unfortunately, that comes in first and second round picks, which we don't invest in need but rather in talent. Hopefully the team will bend this rule and take a good lineman based on need and not only on talent, but who knows. I'd love to get Mike Pouncey and have him play beside Maurkice. I'd also love TCU's Marcus Cannon or Miami's Orlando Franklin. If you guys didn't already know this, I love me some big offensive linemen. Always have, and I think I always will. Even in Madden, lol. Unless the guy plays center, I'll have none of 6'3, 298 lbs. Give me 6'4-6'5 and 320 lbs.+ any day of the week. That's why I'm not very fond of guys like Selvish Capers, and consequently of finesse players. Finnese players don't work against the defenses we play against. We saw that with Darnell Stapleton. Granted, he wasn't elite talent. But still, most small offensive linemen hold no chance against Ngata, Rogers, and now maybe Cody. That's why I like guys like John Jerry, Phil Loadholt, Iupati, and now Cannon. Road-graters who can match defenders' physicality and overpower other small players. I can make exceptions though, especially at LT. But other than that, no, no, no. Big guys to clear big holes for big gains.

And to top it all off, a new, quick mock. Also, I'll look into what we might get in comp picks in a little while, though I don't think we get much.

Assuming we pick in the 15-25 range, which is where I've seen the team listed in power rankings.

Thanks for the enlightenment session. Doesnt really matter whos out there at qb it wont be # 7 it will be a downgrade. They just used a rd 1 pcik on an ol, so i dont understand the whining about not using high picks. Im extrelmely worried about wr. They are a mike wallace in jury away from being the slowest and probably worst wr corps in steelers history, and waalce isnt yet a proven commodity and take away #7 its going to be interesting how he does. #7 has a tendency to make guys look better than they really are. I dont expect to see much emanuel sanders or antonio brown this year. Its not the steeler way and chances of them contributing especially during the #7 less period are slim. Phil taylor will never be a steeler and lets hope dom decicco will never be a steeler.

Steelers agree to terms with T Flozell Adams on a multi-year deal. More ahead on NFL Network and NFL.com

Man I'm so damn happy!

__________________
"Not only is Polamalu the best player in the AFC North, but I feel he's the best defensive player in the entire NFL. No defender in the league combines world-class athleticism, smarts, fundamentals, natural football instincts and the knack for big plays better than Polamalu."

I think it will be like
Starks-Kemo-Hartwig :( - Pouncey - Flo
I really hope that Pouncey will get the chance to start.

__________________
"Not only is Polamalu the best player in the AFC North, but I feel he's the best defensive player in the entire NFL. No defender in the league combines world-class athleticism, smarts, fundamentals, natural football instincts and the knack for big plays better than Polamalu."

We don't need him anyway. If Hartwig doesn't start then Starks-Kemo-Pouncey-Foster-Flo would be awesome.

__________________
"Not only is Polamalu the best player in the AFC North, but I feel he's the best defensive player in the entire NFL. No defender in the league combines world-class athleticism, smarts, fundamentals, natural football instincts and the knack for big plays better than Polamalu."

We don't need him anyway. If Hartwig doesn't start then Starks-Kemo-Pouncey-Foster-Flo would be awesome.

That would be fine by me. I'd rather Pouncey start playing well already at center and having Foster improve at guard, which is what he really should play, than have Pouncey out of position and have Hartwig keep starting.